Rescue Her Heart

by K C Luck

  “Which one of you is Catherine Porter?” the male pirate asked. Nat saw Catherine toss her head.

  “Which one of you is Rog?” she snapped back. The female pirate frowned.

  “We will ask the questions,” she said. “But I’ll guess you are the senator’s daughter.”

  “You guessed right,” Catherine said not backing down. “But I’m going to make a leap here and say you are definitely not Rog.” Nat saw a hint of color rise to the female pirate’s cheeks. Easy Catherine, Nat thought. The other pirate barked out a laugh.

  "No, she's not Rog and neither am I," he said. "But he's going to just love you, missy. Always enjoys the feisty ones." He waved a hand at his partner. "This here wench with the nasty attitude is Sal, and I'm Gruden."

  "Shut up, Gruden" Sal growled. "They don't need to know any of this. Just cuff their hands so we can put them on the shuttle and get this circus over." She leveled a gun at Catherine and Nat clenched her fists, ready to react. No doubt sensing it, Catherine raised a hand to calm things.

  "So, this means no margaritas then?" she asked with a sly smile. If Catherine was feeling any fear, Nat could not tell it. She hoped it was the same for the pirates. "Made with top-shelf tequila, I promise." Nat saw Gruden lick his lips and glance at Sal.

  "Well, I don't know," he started but Sal shook her head and stepped up to point her gun at Catherine's face. Nat could not let it go and yanked Catherine behind her in an instant to stand face to face with the other woman. They were almost exactly the same height and weight.

  "Point that gun someplace else," Nat snarled. Sal narrowed her eyes, not flinching.

  "Or what?" Sal asked.

  "Ye-haw, now this is fun!" Gruden said with glee. "A regular catfight." He looked at Catherine. "That's some bodyguard you got there. Sure she's not something else." He cackled. Much to Nat's displeasure, Catherine stepped out from behind her and put her hands on her hips.

  "Let's just say she guards my whole body," she said. "Now how about we stop with all the bullshit and get down to business. I can't imagine Rog wants you to shoot me before we get a chance to say hello." Gruden clearly loved every minute of it, and Nat did not care for the gleam of lust growing in his eyes.

  "Ease off, Sal," he said with a chuckle. "The pretty one's right. Rog would be pissed if you messed her up before he saw her." Regardless of Gruden's words, the tension in the air was still there. Nat continued to stare Sal down and finally the woman let her eye's skim Nat's face before ending with a smirk. "I would swear I smell the stink of a Space Ranger coming off of you but maybe not. The bodyguard, huh?" Sal said. "With benefits. How nice for you." Nat grit her teeth, but let the taunt go. She would not take the bait. Sal stepped aside and waved Gruden forward. "I still want them restrained." Gruden grunted and pulled out a couple pairs of handcuffs.

  "You always were a kinky one, Sal," he said.

  "Fuck off," Sal said with a glare at Gruden. "Just lock them up." Gruden laughed again but did as he was told. He started with Nat.

  "Put your wrists out," he ordered. Nat hesitated. "Don't be stupid," Gruden snarled. "Sal will happily kill you and take your little pet. I can see it in her eyes." Nat knew he was telling the truth. The pirate was trouble on a lot of levels, but Nat knew she would die before she let her lay a hand on Catherine. But now is not the time to make a move, Nat thought and reluctantly put out her hands. Once he was done with her, the ugly pirate moved to put the cuffs on Catherine. As he approached, she obliged by putting out her wrists.

  "Not sure I see the point of this," she said. "What are you expecting me to do? Use my kung-fu moves and save the day?" Gruden chuckled.

  "I sure do like you, Catherine Porter," he said. "Too bad I'm so far down on the totem pole I won't even qualify for sloppy-seconds. Or thirds even." Nat saw Catherine's face pale a bit at the ugly threat and she wanted to kill the man right then and there. It was all she could do to keep from leaping at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw from Sal's expression she was not a big fan of Gruden's talk either and made a mental note to figure out a way to use the animosity there to her advantage. For now though, her only focus was on getting Gruden away from Catherine, especially when she watched him lick his lips as he ran his eyes over Catherine's body. "Damn, you are sweet though. I can see why both these women have hard-ons for ya," he said as he reached up and traced his dirty finger along Catherine's jawline. He licked his lips again and with a smirk, began to move his finger lower and along her neck. Nate knew where he was headed and started to lunge, but before she could jump, Sal moved like a flash of light, pulling her knife and putting it to the side of Gruden's neck. Nat blinked. She had never seen anyone so quick.

  "Move that finger one more inch and I'll cut it off. Among other things," Sal threatened. Gruden was frozen. Nat saw him swallow hard, but then he grinned as he pulled his hand back.

  "Well now," he said. "How would you explain all that to Rog?"

  "I'd blame it on the droid," she replied without missing a beat. At this Gruden roared out a laugh and turned around.

  "You're a piece of work, Sal," he said. "And I hope for your sake, Rog does give you this piece of ass. You've earned it." Nat watched as Sal shrugged and returned her weapon to its sheath at her waist.

  “We’ll just have to wait and see,” she said with a glance at Nat. Their eyes met and Nat could read the hostility in the other woman’s face. Nat returned the look with a glare of her own. Even with her hands shackled, Nat would happily step up and fight the pirate at any opportunity. Especially where Catherine is concerned, she thought. As if reading her mind, Sal smirked and then turned back to Gruden. "Help me lock them into the shuttle and then we can search the ship to make sure they aren't lying to us about other passengers," she said.

  "Oh, I'm guessing it's just them. All romantic and shit," Gruden said and moved to grab Catherine by the arm, but she pulled away from him.

  "I can walk on my own," Catherine snapped. "Besides, I think we've established the boundaries around you touching me." Gruden looked at her with surprise and then started laughing so hard he bent over and put his hands on his knees. Seeing the pirate vulnerable, Nat contemplated kicking him in the face. If I can take him out, get his gun, maybe I can draw down on Sal, she thought but then remembered just how fast the other woman had moved. Lightning fast. Nat knew she would only have one shot if she decided to act. Do I dare put Catherine’s life at risk on such long odds? Nat knew she could not so she would wait until the moment was right. Then she would kill them, all of them, but especially the woman named Sal.

  CHAPTER 18

  CATHERINE

  Catherine's entire body shook from the adrenaline still coursing through her. The confrontation with the pirates, particularly the leering Gruden, had shaken her badly. Once she and Nat were finally locked alone in the shuttle, Catherine lowered her head to Nat's lap and tried not to cry. Nat ran her bound hands up and down Catherine's back to comfort her. The woman's warm touch helped and Catherine let out a breath she had not realized she was holding. She was so thankful they were both all right. At least for now, she thought. There was no way to know what the future would hold as the shuttle lurched to life and disengaged from the Avalon Mercury. Catherine lifted her head. “How is it moving?” she asked.

  “Remote control,” Nat explained. “To keep anyone from trying to drive off with it.” Catherine nodded.

  “Someone like you,” she asked Nat with a grim smile. “Nat, what are we going to do? I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Taking Catherine’s hands in her own, Nat gave a little laugh and shook her head in amazement.

  “No one would know it, Catherine,” she said. “You were amazing. So smart and incredibly brave. I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did that come from?” To be honest, Catherine was not sure how she pulled it off. Seeing Nat in trouble and knowing what would happen if the pirates knew the truth seemed to kick her survival instinct into overdrive. She had acted far braver than she felt.


  “I have no idea,” she answered. “I just knew I had to do something to stall for time. How long do you think we have?”

  “I can’t be sure,” Nat replied. “It depends on how hard it is to corroborate your story. Please tell me there is a Senator Porter.”

  "There is, but I don't know if he has a daughter," she said. Catherine squeezed Nat's hands and racked her brain for an idea of how they could escape. It would not be easy, and she knew it. If Catherine had to guess, she had a feeling getting away from the pirate Sal would be the hardest. The woman looked ruthless and had moved so quick when protecting Catherine, it was frightening. And she did protect me, Catherine thought. There was no doubt about it in her mind, yet she was not sure what it meant. Was Gruden right? Was it attraction? The woman was masculine, but Catherine knew being tough did not always translate to being lesbian. Still, Gruden's lewd comments made her think Sal liked girls. Catherine closed her eyes and tried not to imagine what would happen if Sal made a real move on her. Nat would go crazy over it. As much as Catherine loved how safe Nat made her feel, it worried her too. Would Nat die for me? Somehow Catherine knew she would out of honor if not something more. And what about me? Would I die for her? The thought gave her pause. It seemed impossible to care about anyone with so much passion so quickly and yet, Catherine did. Nat was all she wanted. Yes, I will die for her if it comes to it. Besides caring for her, all of this is my fault and I won’t have her suffer because of it. Knowing she needed to tell Nat, she reached up and touched the woman’s face. “Nat, I need you to listen to me,” she said. “No matter what happens with that woman Sal, you have to let me handle it.” Nat shook her head.

  “You don’t realize just how dangerous someone like her is,” Nat started. Catherine put a finger to Nat’s lips to stop her from going on.

  "I need you to promise," Catherine said. "I'm not as naive as you think. I just proved that a little, didn't I?" Nat was quiet and Catherine could see so much tenderness and concern in Nat's eyes it touched her heart. "Promise me," Catherine said again. "And then kiss me and make me brave." Nat paused, her eyes studying Catherine's face, but finally, she leaned forward into Catherine. Their lips met and Catherine felt it all through her. There was no way to know when they would have a chance to embrace again and so Catherine relished every moment of their lips together. The heat behind it made Catherine's stomach tighten. Nat pulled back and looked hard into Catherine's eyes.

  "I can't promise, but I will try," Nat said. "But you belong to me and I intend to make sure that bitch knows it." Touched by the force behind the words, Catherine never felt more wanted and she was about to tell Nat she loved belonging to her when the sound of the shuttle docking stopped her. Catherine scooted even closer to Nat and they turned to watch the exit. After a minute, it slid open and a different pirate, this one skinny as a rail and missing his front teeth, stuck his head through the doorway.

  “You’re going to cooperate, right?” he asked. “Not make me come in there and drag you out?” Catherine shook her head and stood up. Her knees threatened to shake and betray her, but she checked it and put back on her haughty exterior.

  “I’d rather you did not. We are here to see Rog,” Catherine said trying to sound as self-righteous as possible. The pirate raised his eyebrows, clearly not sure what to make of the girl’s confident attitude.

  "Well, that is the plan," he said. "The boss is really eager to meet you actually. Now I'm starting to see why. Let's go." The skinny pirate stepped back and Catherine walked out of the shuttle with Nat behind her. Another pirate, this one an alien of a planet Catherine did not recognize, waited for them in the hall. He had his plasma rifle at the ready and he was dressed in a variation of the same uniform as the others, but his alligator-like snout and beady yellow eyes set in scaly skin made him extra intimidating. Catherine tried not to flinch. "Lead on, Chuck," the skinny pirate said to the gator alien and the beast grunted and started to walk away down the corridor.

  As they went through part of the ship in route to see Rog, Catherine took in as much as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nat was doing the same. And probably far better at it than I am, she thought. A lot of what she saw was lost on her when it came to the electronics and machinery they passed. One thing she did know though was the ship was filthy. The paneled floor looked like it might have been a beige color once, but now it was dingy gray with a black stripe of scuff marks down the middle. The walls looked oily and when they went through a narrow hallway, Catherine was careful not to touch anything. Worst though was the smell. A stale hint of garbage rotting seemed to permeate the air wherever they walked. It made her wonder if the spaceship ever docked anywhere to let it be cleaned. Do they just fly around in space all the time? Never landing? she wondered and thought perhaps it was why they were so hard to catch.

  Finally, the reached a set of double doors. These looked more polished than any of the others on the craft and when Chuck stopped at them, Catherine knew they must have arrived and now it was time to meet the one called Rog. The skinny pirate who had trailed behind them stepped up to the door’s intercom and pushed the button. “It’s us, boss,” he said. “I’ve got that girl for you. Plus her bodyguard.”

  “Bring them in,” Rog said. As she entered, Catherine did not know what to think. The man she assumed was Rog sat on a raised platform in a chair a few sizes too large for him. Although he was not standing, from the length of his legs, Catherine guess he was no more than three feet tall. His most prominent feature was his head, which was out of proportion to the rest of him, and he wore a black beard so long it ran down onto his chest. When he saw the group coming, he hopped out of the chair and came to stand at the edge of the platform. Catherine could see him appraising her. Apparently liking what he saw, he smiled and then looked at Nat. After only a moment, his smile faded. "Hold it," he said and looked at the skinny pirate. "You checked this one for weapons? She looks ready to slit my throat." Chuck and the skinny pirate looked at each other and then shrugged.

  “I figured Sal or Gruden did it,” the skinny pirate said. Rog frowned.

  “Check again, just in case. She looks like trouble,” he said. Catherine did not like the sound of his tone and knew she needed to get the focus off of Nat.

  “What? You don’t think I’m trouble then?” she asked. “And for the record, we don’t have weapons.” Rog looked at her, studied her face and body and then his smile came back. It was remarkably charismatic.

  “You must be Ms. Porter, the senator’s daughter,” he said. “I’m Rog, the Pirate King.” Catherine raised an eyebrow at his boast. There were always legends of a pirate king in the galaxy and it was even something parents told their children to get them to behave. Or the pirate king will come and steal you away, Catherine remembered. She never expected to be facing one. Before she could comment, she heard Nat mumble something under her breath. Apparently, Rog heard part of it too. “What did you just say?” he asked. Catherine felt a chill of unease. Nat had promised not to attack the woman Sal, but Catherine had not thought about what Nat might do when faced with the leader of the space pirates.

  “Nat—” Catherine started but Nat raised her chin.

  “I said you have got to be kidding me,” she said. Catherine saw Chuck react and start to raise the butt of his rifle to strike Nat. Catherine threw herself in front of her.

  “No,” she said. “If you want me to cooperate with getting ransom from my father, then you will not hurt either of us.” Chuck stopped and glanced up at Rog. Catherine followed his look. Rog’s face was thoughtful and he stroked his beard. After a moment, he waved Chuck back.

  “So,” Rog started. “Nat is it?” Nat did not respond, the defiance in her face so evident it scared Catherine. After a pause, Rog frowned. “Is it because I’m a dwarf?” he asked. “You think I’m too small to be a pirate king?” Still Nat held her tongue. Rog nodded. “Probably smart you didn’t answer that actually.” He turned back to Catherine. “Are you going to
keep you watchdog under control or do I need to take care of this?” Catherine looked at Nat’s face and saw the deep hatred the woman felt toward the pirates. Can I keep her safe? she wondered. Their eyes held for a moment and Catherine saw a hint of sadness creep into Nat’s look. Seeing it hurt Catherine’s heart. All of Nat’s life was about being the best Space Ranger she could be and trying to rid the world of pirates, and now Catherine was asking her to set all that history aside and cooperate with her sworn enemy. But they will kill her otherwise. There was no way she would let that happen. Finally, Catherine looked back at Rog and nodded.

  “She will behave,” she said. “I give you my promise.”

  CHAPTER 19

  NAT

  Nat took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew she needed to relax or the guy Rog would never believe Catherine's promise. I need to play along with this. For both our sakes, she thought. And wait for the right time to strike. In her heart, Nat knew she would not rest until she killed the pirate king, but for now, she gave the man a nod of agreement. As he continued to study her and stroke his long beard, she knew his decision could go either way. There was a long pause where everyone in the room waited silently and then the dwarf smiled to break the tension. "Okay, Catherine. I'll take your word," he said. "But don't think I won't have my eye on your bodyguard. I'm on the last leg of a longass journey, and I won't let anyone screw it up." Nat saw Catherine smile at the pirate in return.